Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary is a confessional Lutheran hymnal produced for use by the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and related Lutheran bodies. It combines historic Lutheran hymnody with contemporary devotional material and liturgical settings intended for congregational worship, catechesis, and pastoral practice.

History and compilation

The Hymnary was compiled by a committee of clergy and musicians drawn from the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, influenced by precedents such as the Book of Concord, the Lutheran Service Book (1982), and earlier collections like the Lutheran Hymnary and The Lutheran Hymnal. Committees referenced the hymn traditions of Martin Luther, Johann Sebastian Bach, Dietrich Buxtehude, and Philip Nicolai while consulting the hymnals of the Norwegian Lutheran Church, the Swedish Church, and the Danish Church. Work on the project involved comparisons with the Common Service Book and examinations of editions used by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, and the ELCA to reconcile doctrinal precision with musical accessibility. The committee engaged specialists in hymnology, including scholars conversant with the works of Paul Gerhardt, Catherine Winkworth, Isaac Watts, and Charles Wesley, and referenced archival sources from the Library of Congress and the British Library.

Contents and musical features

The Hymnary contains an extensive selection of hymns, psalms, service music, and liturgical propers organized according to the church year, incorporating settings for the Divine Service, the Vespers, and the Matins offices. Musical treatment reflects both chorale tradition and North American hymnody, with harmonizations influenced by composers such as Johann Pachelbel, Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. The collection includes metrical psalms, plainchant-influenced settings linking to the Gregorian chant corpus, and modern hymn tunes reminiscent of work by Carl Schalk and Ernest W. Olson. Editors adapted texts translated by figures like Martin Luther, Paul Gerhardt, and Fredrik Zacharias, and new translations by theologians conversant with Lutheran scholasticism and patristic sources including Augustine of Hippo and John Chrysostom. The score presentation uses traditional harmonic notation and includes organ accompaniments, with registration suggestions reflective of the organ literature associated with builders like Albert Schweitzer and performers such as E. Power Biggs.

Liturgical use and editions

The Hymnary is tailored for use in congregations subscribing to the Augsburg Confession and other confessional documents of the Book of Concord. It provides multiple Divine Service settings suitable for parishes of varying musical resources and is compatible with liturgical calendars followed by the Anglican Church of Canada and Lutheran bodies in North America and Scandinavia. Editions have been produced in pew, worship leader, and organist formats and have been adopted by seminaries and parish schools affiliated with institutions such as Bethany Lutheran College, Concordia Theological Seminary, and Luther Seminary. Publishing and distribution involved cooperation with denominational bookrooms and was informed by precedents set by publishers like Concordia Publishing House and Augsburg Fortress.

Reception and influence

Reception among clergy, musicians, and congregants has ranged from enthusiastic adoption by conservative confessional congregations to critique by academics and ecumenical-minded clergy who compare it to hymnals such as the New English Hymnal and the Hymnal 1982. Musicologists have analyzed its tonal choices in journals influenced by the scholarship of Carl Nielsen and Gustav Mahler regarding hymn harmonization and congregational singing. The Hymnary influenced later Lutheran hymn projects and local ecumenical hymn selections in synods with historical links to Scandinavian immigration and has been cited in liturgical studies alongside works from the Oxford Movement and Protestant liturgical renewal efforts. Educational adoption in catechetical settings has tied it to curricula used at Valparaiso University and other denominational colleges.

Notable hymns and contributors

The hymnal preserves classic texts by hymnists such as Martin Luther, Paul Gerhardt, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and Friedrich R�ckert alongside translations by Catherine Winkworth and modern contributions from theologians and musicians affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Notable contributors to the editorial and musical content include pastors and musicians trained at Concordia Seminary (St. Louis), Valparaiso University, and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, as well as composers in the lineage of Carl F. Schalk and Ernest M. Koontz. The Hymnary includes settings of well-known hymns such as classic chorales used by J.S. Bach and contemporary translations that have circulated in collections associated with Lutheran worship renewal movements and hymn festivals linked to organizations like the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

Category:Lutheran hymnals Category:1996 books